Flora Coquerel, who was crowned Miss France this weekend amid an upsurge in
racism that tainted the contest, said she was “very proud to represent a
cosmopolitan France”.

Miss Coquerel, 19, whose mother is from Benin, in west Africa, beat 33 other
contestants in a competition watched on television by 8.2 million people,
making it the most popular programme on Saturday evening.

The jury was headed by the French-Canadian singer Garou after Alain Delon, the
78-year-old film star, resigned as lifetime president of Miss France after
its organisers criticised his support for the anti-immigration party, the
National Front.